


A Change of Pace

by inadistantworld



Series: About the Color Blue [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dom Percy, F/M, Handcuffs, Jock Vex'ahlia, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Sub Vex, They decide to switch things up for a night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:28:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inadistantworld/pseuds/inadistantworld
Summary: Percy feels like everything's completely out of his control. Vex feels like she can't do everything on her own like this. And the two decide maybe switching things up for the night isn't such a bad idea.





	A Change of Pace

**Author's Note:**

> So I just watched Percy say, "She is the future I have chosen" and I felt a little inspired.  
> Also I'm finally almost caught up you guys.  
> Last installment, also the shortest, but I quite enjoyed the ending. I hope you do too.

Percy was pacing in his room, fuming. He was glad Vex wasn’t here to see him like this. He wanted to throw things. Not violently, not to hurt anything, just to get it out. Just to do something. Any other day he would have done some target practice; he’d gotten more into it in the year that he’d been with Vex. But when he went three days ago it just made his chest hurt.

Vex had been offered the Olympic coach four days ago. And of course he wanted her to take it, he wanted to watch her win against the very best in the world, he wanted her to follow her heart. He could see it whenever they talked about it, she wanted it to. But something held her back. And he was having trouble getting her to talk about it.

She’d been spending a lot of time at the field, just practicing. He knew she was thinking, it was one of the few places where she had a clear head. In fact, that’s where she was out when Percy got another phone call from his father.

“Percival, you’ve wasted enough of your time at that school. If you want a real education we can send you to an ivy league school, you can get your Masters with the very best education in the country, gods know you have the brains for it,” his father always seemed to sound a little disgusted at Percy’s life choices. Not enough to really pick up on or to point out, but always just enough to make Percy feel shitty.

“I enjoy this school. I’m learning a lot, I have friends I am very close to, this has been a very good experience for me. And I have no interest in taking over the company, you know that. You don’t need to send me to another school, you can send Cass.” Percy wanted to say something about how his parents had always thought Cass would handle it better anyways, but he held his tongue.

“There is more for you in this family than just taking over the business. And while you may not be in the big office when I die, your name is still de Rolo. You are still a part of this family and you still effect and profit from this business. And you’ll be on the board, just like all your other siblings. Percy, out of all your brothers and sisters I had always hoped you would be the one to show more drive. You have so much potential, perhaps not at the forefront of the business, but there are other ventures, and despite all of this you are content just leeching off everyone else’s success. I would understand if you were like…your less promising siblings, but instead you just waste away everything your mother and I have given you.” The guilting part had arrived. Percy’s favorite.

“If it bothers you that I’ll be on the board you can still change that,” Percy kept his voice neutral, he’d had plenty of practice at it by this point.

“That’s not what I want, Percy. I want you to be better.” His father’s voice was harsh, demanding, and Percy clenched his fist at his side.

“I’m sorry.” What else could he say?

“Think about my offer, Percy. If you give me the right answer soon I can get you in the next semester to finish your Bachelors there as well. If you wait then it will have to be after the summer break.”

“I’ll…think about it,” Percy conceded.

“Good. Call me when you’ve made up your mind.” His father hung up without saying goodbye. It was a very businesslike move.

And the whole conversation left Percy angry.

It was an hour and fifteen minutes before the door to Percy’s apartment was unlocked and Vex came in, dropping her keys on the kitchen counter. “Percy?”

He walked out of the bedroom to meet her, “Welcome back, dear. How was it?”

Vex could tell he was hiding something, that he wasn’t his usual self. She walked up to him and touched his cheek, “It was fine, darling. How are you?” She saw the hesitation when he opened his mouth and said, “And don’t bother lying, you don’t need to do that.”

He smiled weakly and nodded, “I suppose you’re right. Just another call from my father.”

“That’s two in the last three days. What’s got his panties in a bunch?” She huffed. She wasn’t particularly fond of the man. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest.

“The deadline for the new semester is coming up. He wants me to transfer.”

They were silent for a moment and then Vex asked, “Are you going to?”

“No.” He didn’t go into any more detail than that and Vex didn’t demand more of him. Now wasn’t the time, not when he was in this kind of mood. When he was like this she tried not to demand much of him, especially after dealing with his father who demanded everything.

Unlike her current issue where nobody was asking for anything, nobody was giving any hints on what she should do. Not even Percy, and she asked him quite often, and all he would tell her was to do what she wanted to do, to follow her heart. It would have made her mad if it wasn’t so sweet. She knew he had an opinion on if she should do it, but he wanted to support her no matter what so he refused to give her any idea on his thoughts. The coach was totally understanding, even going into the shitty parts of what she would be going through and admitting that it was a lot to ask of anyone. Even Vax was being annoying about the whole, “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” thing.

For once she just wanted someone to give her an idea on what to do. This was the biggest decision she’d ever made and she felt like she was doing it all herself.

Percy kissed the top of her head and her stomach sank. She’d be leaving him behind if she did it. But honestly, she wanted to. She wanted real training, real competitors, maybe even a rival. She wanted everyone to see how good she was. She wanted everyone to know her skill.

Unfortunately it also came along with everyone knowing her first _and_ last name. And while she may not turn down the opportunity for that reason alone, it was certainly on the list of cons. To go down in history with her father’s name still attached to her. Other cons were the uncertainty of her success, what if she went through all this and nothing came from it? Moving to wherever she was told. Leaving her brother. Leaving Percy. And everyone else. Having to transfer to finish her last years of school, if she finished at all. There were too many unknowns and nothing familiar.

“Have you been working on any fun projects?” She asked, not moving from his arms which were holding her securely against his chest.

He frowned, tinkering hadn’t been bringing him the joy it used to, not with all the stress and his family reminding him that it was a worthless hobby. “No, I haven’t even gone through my sketches yet to decide what I want to do next.”

“You should, it might be a good distraction.”

“You’re a good distraction,” he teased.

Vex agreed with him on that.

Things had been the same since they started their relationship. Not in a bad way of course, and there were some things that they threw in for fun (like the recent night with a strap on), but for the most part it hadn’t changed much. Vex took control and Percy was a good boy. They both had said Thordak, calling out their safeword, two or three times each. Even just for a moment’s pause or to talk about what was happening. Twice it had been a full stop. And neither resented the other for it, it had been a good thing every time and they both made sure the other was aware that they would rather stop completely than keep up with something the other didn’t want.

That night Percy was the one who called out the safeword. He couldn’t explain why, but he just couldn’t do it right then. Vex had been careful, she hadn’t given any instructions, she hadn’t set out to take from him, but she understood. Sometimes it just didn’t feel right. And to be quite honest, she was about to say it too. The night just felt wrong.

Instead they just fell asleep, wrapped up in each other’s arms and pretended not to think about everything else going on.

 

“Well you want her to do it, right?” Vax and Percy didn’t talk alone often, but if anyone could help Percy on how to help Vex it was Vax.

It seemed like a trick question. “I want her to do what she wants to do.”

Vax shrugged, “She’s always done it in the past.”

“This is different,” Percy didn’t have the words to describe it, but he knew.

So did Vax, whose shoulders sagged as he decided it was useless avoiding this talk with Percy. “Of course it’s different. We’ve always done it all together. And Keyleth and I are going back to her home, she’s got this huge opportunity where she’ll be moving across the country and with the whole world watching her, and now there’s you too. She doesn’t want to risk losing you for something like this.”

“I want her to know she wouldn’t.”

“What, would you follow her? Be her groupie?” Vax scoffed, but secretly he was looking for a real answer. Sometimes he still wondered about Percy. Then again, Percy had always encouraged Vax to keep an eye on him.

Percy frowned. His father was still breathing down his neck, demanding as always. But Vex was…his choice. Not his responsibility. But, as his father reminded him often, responsibility comes first and you can’t always have what you want.

“I would never hold her back to be with me,” he finally answered. It was the only honest answer he could give at that moment.

Thankfully it was good enough for Vax. It didn’t change his ‘advice’ though. “Vex’ahlia will always do what she wants. In the end she’ll make her own decision. She just needs to get there. But she won’t just listen to you tell her what to do, she doesn’t want anyone making decisions for her.”

Every other day, Vax would have been right.

 

Her lips were desperate against Percy’s. She needed him. She always wanted him, but tonight she needed him.

“Percy,” she hissed as he nipped a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

“Vex’ahlia,” he breathed against her, the name rolled off his tongue, chased by a hungry growl as he hiked her leg up over his hip, pressing her harder against the wall.

She felt his cock pressing against her core through way too many layers. “What, are you going to make me beg?” She teased and pulled at his hair so he stopped and looked at her.

He smirked, “Might be nice to hear you begging for once.”

She raised her eyebrows, “My goodness Percy, you’re so forward tonight.”

His ears turned red and he pulled back a little, not away just not holding her against the wall and letting her leg drop. “Ah, sorry, it’s probably just. You know. Everything else going on.”

That she understood. “I like it. I know we normally play differently, but I admit that with everything going on I could use something a little more…aggressive.”

He cocked his head to the side, “Oh?”

“Slow down big boy,” she drew him closer again, missing the heavy contact, “this is a temporary arrangement if you want to try it out. But right now, letting you having a little control sounds like just the thing I’m looking for.”

His grin widened and he began kissing her neck again, sucking and biting as he made his way to her ear. He took her earlobe in his teeth and she shuddered, then he whispered, “Do you remember when we first started this? And you asked what I would do?” Her breath hitched. “I said I would _take you_. Consider this fulfilling my promise.” He paused, giving her a chance to back out still, but she didn’t.

Vex’s dark eyes were half lidded with lust, her lips swollen and red, a lovely red-purple mark on her collarbone was blossoming from Percy’s earlier ministrations, and her hair was already trying to escape its braid. “Do your worst, darling.”

She barely got the words out before Percy’s lips were crushing hers.

Vex was wearing a button up shirt, which Percy would later argue was poor planning. He grabbed at the collar of her shirt, and Vex leaned back to stare at him, “Don’t you dare,” somewhere half between a laugh and a threat.

He smiled, waited a moment to hear Thordak, and when she didn’t say it he pulled. And buttons flew.

“Percy! I liked this shirt!”

“I like you better without it,” his voice was a borderline growl as he deftly unclipped her bra and slid it down her arms, throwing it to the side.

“I’ll remember that next time you’re wearing something nice,” she warned but it quickly fizzled out to a moan as he took her nipple into his mouth. His teeth grazed her, tugging slightly as it hardened.

“What? Do you want to wear something of mine?” He grabbed where her ass met her thighs and lifted her from the ground.

Vex wrapped her legs around him and let him carry her to his room and collapse onto the bed, hovering over her. “Maybe I do.”

She watched wheels churn in his mind and then he said, “Strip.”

“I have to admit, I like this side of you Percy.” She ran her fingers along his collarbone.

“Then you’ll do as I say.” She’d never heard Percy sound like that, and honestly it was a huge turn on.

He stood and went to his closet, pulling out a light blue dress shirt as Vex (quite ungracefully for once) took off her remaining clothes behind him. She stood with her hand on her hip when he turned around. “Good enough?”

“Lovely,” he kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth and his free hand cupping her mound. As she leaned into him he pulled away and handed her the shirt, “Put this on. Leave it unbuttoned of course.”

“Whatever you want.” She slipped it over her shoulders as Percy went to the lovely trunk at the end of the bed where they’d started keeping some of their fun items.

The sleeves were long on her, it fell about a third of the way down her thighs, and while it was unbuttoned it wasn’t fully open, still covering most of her. It reminded Percy so much of a scene from a movie that it would have been funny if it wasn’t so hot. “You’re fucking perfection,” he said as walked back to stand in front of her. The item he now carried jangling a little as he did so.

She hummed and smirked, “You’re not so bad yourself, hotstuff.”

He held his hand up to show her the silver handcuffs that dangled from his finger. “How do you feel about these?”

“I feel like I want to know what it’s like to be you, beautiful, tied up, and _taken_ as you put it.”

“Hands behind your back,” he watched as she did so, not missing the way she pushed her chest out to him as she did so. He didn’t move behind her immediately, instead with one finger he pushed the shirt aside to reveal one hard nipple. He circled it once with his thumb and then walked behind her.

He secured the handcuffs around her wrists, not too tightly but enough that she wouldn’t be slipping out of them. And then he kissed her shoulder and brought his left hand to her nipple, tweaking and rolling it between his fingers as his right hand drifted down her stomach and between her folds.

He found her clit with ease and she threw her head back and moaned as he circled her it lightly, teasing her. She pressed back into him and then realized he was still completely clothed and she was beyond vulnerable, naked save for his shirt and handcuffs.

“Percy,” she whined pleadingly. It wasn’t something she did, but Percy loved the sound.

“Yes, dear?” He asked, dipping his finger inside her, keenly aware of how her legs trembled.

“Why don’t we take this to the bed?”

“Why don’t you ask me nicely?” He added a second finger easily.

“You’re just milking this for all it’s worth, aren’t you?” She moaned and, with handcuffed hands, started feeling around for Percy’s dick. It was not difficult, his cock was hard and straining against his jeans. She gripped him as best she could and whispered teasingly, “Please just fuck me already.”

He groaned and pulled away from her. Vex stayed still, facing away from him, and listened to his clothes hit the floor. Then she heard the bed shift as he got in. “Are you going to invite me too?” She shifted her weight, her hips swaying as she did so.

“Come here,” he said a moment later after she heard the condom wrapper tear open.

Vex turned to him and, with surprising ease knelt on the bed and swung her leg over him. She straddled him and he held his cock to guide it in as she slid down on it. “Gods, Percy,” she moaned as she took him in.

She looked like sin. Which was just about right considering the kind of man Percy was.

His shirt was starting to slide down her shoulder, it was wide open, her arms behind her back, and her bottom lip between her teeth as she rode him. He grabbed her hips, thrusting up into her. And as much as he loved this he wanted something else, wanted to make do on his promise.

He sat up, kissed her roughly, and pulled her underneath him. “Ow, sweetheart,” she laughed as he kissed her jawline, “not the most comfortable position for me right now.”

He sat back on his knees, flipped her over, and pulled her hips back and up. He pressed his cock against her but refused to slide inside her again. “Better?”

Her face was turned to the side, pressed into the pillows. “I’m a little less familiar with this position than you are,” her voice was light and she sighed when he ran calloused hands up her back under the shirt.

“You’re gorgeous like this,” he murmured as he gripped her hips. Normally it was what she said to him, and while he always thought she was pure perfection, there was something special about seeing her like this. A whole new side to her.

And in one smooth motion he buried himself in her.

“Fuck,” she moaned out as he thrust into her.

His fingers dug into her so hard she wondered if they’d leave marks. She doubted it, the only reason she’d left them on Percy a few times was because he bruised so easily, but the idea only made her moan louder.

“Harder, Percy,” she whined.

And he obliged, because even though she’d handed over he reigns he would always follow her instructions.

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up on her knees and slammed up into her, the shirt slipping off her shoulders completely and stopping at her forearms, her head tossed back, her body damp with sweat and glowing in the dim light.

“Don’t stop, oh fuck don’t stop,” she managed between gasps and moans. She wished her hands were free so she could thread her fingers in his hair. But she liked this, being unable to, at his mercy, whatever he wanted he could have. She could see why Percy liked this so much.

Percy couldn’t answer, he was too close to risk losing his focus. He angled his hips slightly and she gasped sharply as he hit that perfect spot. Faster, harder, giving her more. He bit her shoulder, trying to hold back from his climax, but she cried out and clenched around him when he did, cumming on his cock. And that was his breaking point.

They didn’t move at first, panting and recovering. Then Percy reached over to the nightstand, stretching over her, and grabbed the little key to the handcuffs. He unlocked the cuffs and tossed them to the side. The shirt slid off completely and she brought her hands in front of her, rubbing her wrists.

He lay down on his side of the bed and Vex collapsed next to him. “Was it as good for you as it was for me?” She asked with an airy laugh.

He chuckled, “It most definitely was. I think it was exactly what I needed.”

“I agree. Maybe not something we do regularly, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind the next time I feel like this.” She reached down and found his hand, entwined their fingers, and closed her eyes as she caught her breath.

“Vex…you have to decide,” Percy said hesitantly.

“I know. Have you given your father an answer?” She asked.

“I…haven’t told him yet, but. I plan to stay with you.”

She found the answer oddly vague. “Stay with me?”

He shrugged, “We’re graduating. I never really wanted a Masters. And, as long as I am not overstepping here…I’d like to be with you. But I’m not opposed to long distance if that’s what you want.”

“You don’t even know where I’m going. I don’t even know where I’m going.”

“I don’t need to. I support any decision you make. I choose you. I don’t care where we are or what we do. To be quite honest, as long as I have you I could live in a box.” He wondered if that was too far. They weren’t exactly the couple that thought about a future, that was more a Vax and Keyleth kind of thing.

She turned over to face him and kissed his lips softly, “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“What if I wanted to, you know, say yes? To the coach?” She asked nervously.

This was the conversation Percy had been wanting, for her to say what she wanted and him to support her in it. “You’d have the best training, you’d get to do worldwide competitions, you’d get to meet others just as passionate, you’d get to learn. You’d win. All the time. Little archers all over the world would watch you, have posters, ask for your autograph. And you’d be good. You’d be the best.”

She looked back up at the ceiling and smiled at the thought. “You really think so?”

“I called the coach because, no matter what happened, it would only be because of your skill. Nobody would ever be able to claim that it came from me, from your father, from buying your way in. It would be because of you.”

She nodded, and then her smile turned to a grimace. “It still wouldn’t matter though. Everything I did. I could win gold and still, I’d be his daughter. Gold medalist Vex’ahlia Vessar, daughter of Syldor, and then they’ll talk about my father. That name. It will always be his. My _own name_ doesn’t even belong to me.” Percy watched the tears well up and she angrily wiped at her eyes.

Percy had only thought of Vex’s name when he thought of the proof on every television, in every history book, Vex’ahlia was better than anyone else with a bow, of course she’d be everywhere. But she wasn’t the only one with that name. He felt silly for not considering that. It was true, a man like her father would be in history books and on every TV as well. And the mere name was enough of a trigger for people to start talking. In history books they would talk about her father and mention her on the side.

Percy didn’t often speak without thinking at least a little bit, but this time the words spilled out of his mouth before he’d finished coming up with the idea. “Then you won’t be a Vessar anymore.”

She snorted. “I can’t just change it Percy.”

“You can. If you want. I won’t force you, it’s not necessarily the best choice, but you could be a de Rolo. You can have my name. My family doesn’t want to be everywhere. They want to run their business without being talked about so much, so in actuality it would only be you. And you wouldn’t be a Vessar anymore, it can be your name again. And. Well of course you already have me, you don’t need to marry me for me to be so utterly and completely yours, but I’ve uh, I may have wondered what you’d look like in a wedding dress.”

She bit her lip and stayed silent for a long time. And then said, “I would look stunning, darling.”

“Care to prove it?” Percy asked, his heart pounding in his chest, or maybe it was in his throat, he couldn’t remember how those sayings went, he couldn’t remember much of everything, all he knew was that his body was practically vibrating as he waited.

“Is that how you ask a girl to marry you? Pathetic.” She teased.

He raised an eyebrow at her and then got out of bed, walked around to her side, and held a hand out to her. She smiled and took it, standing in front of him. He kissed her softly and slowly got down on one knee, still holding her hand.

“I love you. More than you could ever guess.”

“I don’t need to guess,” her other hand touched his cheek, “I feel it. I feel how much you love me all the time. And gods I know how much I love you and I can only imagine it’s at least as much, if not more.”

Percy leaned into her touch and closed his eyes for a brief moment. “And if you would have me, I’d like to give you my name. You have the rest of me, you’ll always have the rest of me, but I would like to offer my name now too.”

She looked at Percy. Naked with that post sex glow, his white hair sticking up in all sorts of directions, his blue eyes focused on hers, waiting for her answer. She tugged on his hand and he stood up. “Yes,” she whispered and kissed him. Hard.

“You’ll look lovely in a wedding dress,” Percy mused when they took a breath.

“You’ll have to wait to find out until you see me coming down the aisle, it’s bad luck.”

He laughed and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing her in for a moment. “I don’t want to wait. I’m quite an impatient man sometimes.”

“We could do it now.”

“That doesn’t sound like a joke,” he squeezed her hand.

“It’s not. If you wanted to. We could go now, we live in a city, there’s bound to be someone open.”

“You could go get a dress, whatever one you wanted, and we could just…do it.”

Vex kissed him again, “Let’s do it. Right now.” She ran over to her pants and started pulling them on again.

Percy laughed, “We can wait if you want to think about it. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

She stopped when he said that, jeans still unbuttoned, and walked back to him. “Do you love me?”

“Yes,” he breathed and closed his eyes.

“I love you. So much. And without you…I don’t know who I’d be. I don’t know if I’d be able to even say yes to this kind of opportunity. But even without that, I just love you. And I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to think about it because the only thing I’ll think about it how badly I want to do it and how I have to wait. You aren’t pressuring me, you’re making me excited.”

He opened his eyes and grinned, “Let’s go.”

She kissed him quickly one last time and ran to the other room where her shirt was. She frowned as she looked at it, seeing only one button still barely hanging on. “I need a new shirt, Percival! You ruined this one! And don’t think I won’t remember that next time!”

He walked out a few moments later, his jeans low on his hips and two shirts in his hand, one of his and one of the ones Vex kept in his apartment, “I would expect nothing less,” he said as he handed her one of her favorites and started putting his own on as well.

“You can’t come shopping with me.”

“No, I suppose I can’t. But I will get everything else figured out. You don’t worry about anything except for finding the dress you want to marry me in. And I promise, I’ll be wearing something much nicer than this when you do.”

“I’ll see you on the other end of the aisle,” she said, her hand on the doorknob.

“Not if I see you first.”

She chuckled, “Darling, remember the last time you said you could beat me?” And opened the door. “Oh, everyone is going to be so mad when they find out.” And then she went off to find the perfect dress in record time.

And, as soulmates tend to, they lived happily ever after.


End file.
